THE BEST BEFORE DATE - 1980 - Dreams of Leaving by The Human League

Dreams of Leaving is a song taken from The Human League's second album Travelogue. Within a year of its release in 1980 the band split and the huge international success of Human League ( Mark Two) was on its way. This, however, is The Human League (Mark One)  an entirely different kettle of fish, and actually a much more interesting band, that was very far from being bland. This version of the band wore a lot more experimentally muscular beat driven, definitely urban garb, with an off kilter pop quality that was both electro alt pop, but with an edge of the darker backstreets. Sci-fi and pop culture references abounded, These were the days when they could do an entirely electronic version of Gary Glitter's Rock 'n' Roll, and it was simply thought a bit of tongue in cheek camp, not morally suspect at all. Its actually a rather good version, look it up.

I'm choosing to focus on Dreams of Leaving, because this song is a rare occasion in The Human Leagues career, where they stepped into territory that is more socially polemical, an overt comment on society and our inhumanity towards other humans. Its a very tenderly written song, That literally takes you on an atmospheric electronic journey from one state to another. The protagonist, in the song, is living in a country run by a restrictive regime, and leaves his home country to hopefully find a new life in a free country. Only to discover he is also unwelcome there, because he's an immigrant, and reluctantly decides to leave and move further North.  But he remains optimistic, poignantly repeating that maybe there he can be - 'just like someone's neighbour'

I thought this a very apt song to highlight, given the current aggressively right wing zeitgeist re- immigration. This song asks you to consider their humanity first, the immense struggle and upheaval.an immigrant often has to go through to get here. And this is decades before the horrendous sight of overfilled boats on the edge of capsizing in the seas off our island. Only to arrive and be treated like an infection, bringing their 'foreign ways and lax morals' to our country etc etc. What a sad immoral gutter we have currently decided to plant our flag in. 

Anyway, here are the lyrics.

Someone stopped the clock when we should have started early
If we miss the morning meeting our lives will be in danger
Someone's trying to stop us, there is someone in our party
It is someone with a grudge and they won't let us reach the border

Our lives are in his hands, we pay with Krugerands
The currency of pain to help us leaving
While back in our homeland the ones who make a stand
Are taken from their homes and no one hears of them again

I felt I had to come here, I thought things would be better
The situation's changed but I find I'm still resented
Someone wants my job it is someone in this building
Someone's spreading rumours and I don't feel I can stay here

I think I'm going north and now's the time to leave
The people there they say are good to strangers
And if I do my best and try to settle in
I'm sure I can be just like someone's neighbour

I'm sure I can be just like someone's neighbour*

* Lyrics by Marsh, Oakey & Ware